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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Dec 12, 2009 - 03:52pm PT
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Got your e-mail and responded.
Daylight lasts about 10 hours now. The approach is 1-1/2 hours, the tricky descent is 1 hr, and that is if you have it dialed-in. Wind and cold make 5.11 friction and the run outs between bolts unnerving. Someone who knows the routes might find a good weather window and successfully make a go of it. Anyone else is probably asking for an unplanned bivy on these Grade III / IV routes.
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Dec 28, 2009 - 02:08am PT
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Found this old photo. Matte finish doesn't scan very well. Hope to find the original slide for better resolution.
Cañón del Tajo base camp.
L to R: Dan Curley, Will_?, Dale McCauley, Tom Scott, Paul Dowdy, Kelly Davenport, Werner Landry, Galen Kirkwood, unk female, John Vawter, Guy Andrews (front right). Sometime around 1977-1878.
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Acer
Big Wall climber
AZ
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Jan 10, 2010 - 02:04pm PT
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I need to get back down there soon. Unfinished business.
I am sure there are some good gatherings in the spring.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jan 12, 2010 - 10:58pm PT
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Great shot, Juan!
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Jan 12, 2010 - 11:03pm PT
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Yeah super classic group shot John with our pal Guy in there, RIP.
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jan 26, 2010 - 12:56am PT
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The title of Baxter's early 70's article was "Poor Man's Patagonia".
This photo was shot on Saturday.
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Mar 19, 2010 - 05:42am PT
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News updates:
Last weekend was windy, though temperatures are warming. Prime season for the Throne is from now through early May.
Looks like "La Joya" (Grade III/IV, 5.11b) on the south face will get new bolts. I'm gathering the hardware: 63 protection bolts, 3/8" x 3" stainless steel with Fixe hangers. The belay anchors were upgraded about 10 years ago. Thanks in advance to Alex G. and Guillermo A., who have volunteered to do the labor. Pulling the Rawl 5/16" buttonheads is certain to be a laborious chore. After 22 years, those bolts are due for replacement.
Sadly, the last of the big, proud pines in the center of base camp has succumbed to drought/bark beetles. Thanks to Mark R. for sawing it down before it killed some unlucky campers. Perhaps we will get back over there with the chainsaw to make a memorial picnic table.
Despite Mexico's full-on drug war (20,000 reportedly killed to date), and numerous bodies dumped along Mex Highway 2 by narcotraficantes, there have not been any serious crime incidents reported in the wilderness. At least, none that I'm aware of, in the past few years.
Officially, passports are now required for travel in Mexico. Perhaps that should be re-worded: "Passports are required if you want to return to the USA."
The newest, biggest concern is the Rumorosa Wind Project. An expansive wind farm is planned for the escarpment. The first few wind generators are already up and running near La Rumorosa. On Sunday,"President Felipe Calderón inaugurated a 10-megawatt wind farm in Baja California that will provide public lighting for the state capital, Mexicali. The Rumorosa project is a $27 million federal-state venture.", according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
What they don't report is that US energy corporations are exploiting Mexico's resources, once again. Environmental restrictions delay/halt construction north of the border, so Sempra (SDG&E)and Cannon Power are looking south of the border. It is unknown how far the towering wind generators will encroach into the wilderness. Ranchers 25 miles south of La Rumorosa are already talking about how to share the "windfall", should generators be erected on their land. There is big money behind this project, and it is a Presidential "pet project." Climbers know how damned windy it can be at Canyon Tajo. That combination foretells trouble ahead for wilderness of the Sierra de Juárez and Cañón del Tajo.
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Mar 19, 2010 - 10:41am PT
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I bet those 5/16 bolts are in pretty good shape.
Have fun changing them out.
To bad about the wind farms. In the quest for "Green Energy" we are willing to toss the baby out with the bath water.
When I started going down to GTB it was more wild than Patagonia, just a faint dirt track to follow and almost zero beta about the climbs, all 4 of them.
To bad about the Drug War.... time to just legalize all and every "drug" - Just to remove the huge incentive of big profits.
Heck, how about some pictures of the place. Any historical stuff by "the syndico granitio" (sp?) boyz from AZ?
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Anxious Melancholy
Mountain climber
Between the Depths of Despair & Heights of Folly
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Mar 19, 2010 - 12:56pm PT
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JM
unk female = riley davenport (kelly’s sister, Vawters wife now?)
TD
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John Vawter
Social climber
San Diego
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Mar 19, 2010 - 04:39pm PT
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That's my girlfriend Sheari, from UCR. I didn't meet Riley for another two years or so.
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hossjulia
Social climber
Eastside
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May 13, 2010 - 09:19pm PT
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oh man I wish I was there now, did not get to climb enough the last time.....another life ago it seems.
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just_one
Mountain climber
CA
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May 14, 2010 - 02:28am PT
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man, i'd love to get back down there some day. i think it was 2002 when al currano and i went down for a week in december and froze our butts off on what i think was the 2nd ascent of el milenio. i still remember that insane roof crack... i had to prusik up on an 8 mil rope, only to discover that the belay was al wedged in the crack with one or two tiny nuts. yikes! finished in the dark in howling winds and bivied in a crevice on the summit. such a wild place. i sure hope they don't ruin it with the wind farm...
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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May 14, 2010 - 03:17am PT
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Have to bump for this! Haven't been there for some time but mi corazon es en baja!! Hope you are well John S.
edit: Just have to add that one of my first big walls...Before El Cap in '79 was Pan Am with Adrien Almodovar in like maybe '77?
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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May 14, 2010 - 03:18am PT
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Hey Justin!
Good to hear from you. Your climb was almost certainly the 2nd ascent of "El Milenio" (The Millennium). It was in December 2000, not 2002, according to my notes. We had completed the route only 6 months prior to that, in June 1999.
What happened above the roof? All of the belay stations can be reached with a 50m rope, and each station has a minimum of two 3/8" x 4" SS bolts with Fixe "Ring Anchors" (hanger + rap ring). Perhaps you overshot an anchor with a longer rope? There is a semi-hanging belay station about 15' below the roof.
Nevermind, I just found your trip report on my PC, with the answer:
"Apparently, he had ran out of gear and steam right there so he just decided to stop and bring me up. Which meant that there was still 30 ft. or so of the chimney left to climb."
You should post your trip report here; it's good adventure reading.
It's surprising how many parties have been benighted at the top of the south face routes. If unfamiliar with the descent, it is nearly impossible to navigate in the dark.
Hope you make it back down there. The weather should be good for an ascent of "La Joya" or "El Paseo Blanco" through May.
-John S.
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just_one
Mountain climber
CA
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May 14, 2010 - 03:23am PT
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hey john!
wow, i guess you're right, it was 2000.. man how time flies. could you send me that trip report? i must have lost it because i don't even remember writing one haha.
thanks again for all of your helpful info back then by the way. it was a great adventure that i'll never forget.
-justin
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jun 24, 2010 - 03:09am PT
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Hey Justin,
Thanks for posting your trip report. I enjoyed reading about your adventure. It makes me want to get back in shape and do a repeat of the route!
For those who seek a Baja adventure, El Milenio is really a fun and relatively safe route, despite the heinous description in the TR.
Of course, YMMV. The approach and descent are often more of a problem than the actual climbing.
-John S.
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Mtnmun
Trad climber
Top of the Mountain Mun
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Dec 28, 2010 - 09:58pm PT
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Bump for one cool thread.
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Last weekend was picture-perfect. Two climbers made the journey from Mexico City to La Rumorosa, where I met them at the bus stop.
Their agenda for the week's stay included the "VW Route" or "El Milenio" on the Throne, plus many shorter routes on the domes.
Alejandro "Alex" G. and Samuel O. came from Tijuana, and Pepe from Mexicali to climb and camp. Alex brought his telescope for the clear and moonless night. Viewing Saturn and its moons was a trip!
The numerous stops and searches of my van were annoying:
1. Crossing into Tecate - not Customs (I got the green light upon crossing), but Army soldiers with automatic rifles. Brief search.
2. On the cuota (toll road), Army, automatic weapons pointed from 3 directions.
3. La Rumorosa, Municpal Police decided to visit. Perhaps because I was parked in front of El Emporio restaurant for a couple hours, waiting for the bus to arrive. They seemed to be far more interested in what was under the van than what was in it. (4WD, lifted, winch, air tank, etc.)
4. Guard shack and gate (La Rumorosa Wind Project) on the dirt road. Waved me through the usual license plate/ID check. They recognize my van.
5. On the dirt road. Army roadblock. Several automatic weapons leveled at the van. Noted two in sniper positions. Thorough search.
6. Leaving Tecate, 75' from the USA. Army soldiers briefly searched. Automatics pointed at the ground. Got a chance to stretch after a 2 hour border wait.
7. Entering the USA. US CBP (Customs and Border Protection). Officer asked lots of questions during an inspection of several minutes. Was glad to move gear around to expedite the process and to avoid being sent to "secondary."
8. Tecate, USA. Got directed into a line of vehicles for an additional inspection. Occupants ordered to stand nearby, while hi-tech truck drives past the parked vehicles. X-ray or electronic scanning?
9. Hwy 94, Dulzura. Border Patrol checkpoint. A few questions and a visual check for undocumented occupants.
Expect these delays and hassles if you travel to and from Mexico. The Army soldiers are generally polite, though nervous when they make a stop. Don't make any sudden movements. During a search, I prefer to have my wallet and passport on my person rather than in the vehicle for the taking.
The La Rumorosa wind project is expected to expand soon. There are 5 wind turbines operating as a test/demo project. Plans call for hundreds more in the Sierra de Juárez. There is a temporary steel tower installed about 1 mile from base camp for measuring wind speeds. Change is coming, and it will be destructive to the wilderness.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/19/sdge-buying-power-from-mexican-wind-farm/
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